Innovation has become quite the buzz word in recent years. It represents what every startup strives for–to be the first or best, to question the status quo, to challenge convention and provide something that consumers can get behind with passion. Startups move quickly. If starting a business was like a race, then startups would be the sprinters and small business

If your employees work an 8 hour day, you might assume they’re being productive for all 8 of those hours. You’d be wrong, though, according to a study of 2,000 full-time office employees. The number of hours that employees consider themselves to be productive is not 8. It’s not 7, 6, 5, 4, or even 3 hours of the workday.

Entrepreneurs may struggle with productivity more than other professions. They don’t typically have a boss to keep them in check, coworkers they are working on projects with or specific deadlines to meet. They make their own schedule, choose their own workload and struggle to find a work-life balance with nonspecific work hours and projects they are working on. Productivity can

Online businesses make use of many channels for customer support online – social media, website contact forms, email, live chat – but due to the nature of these businesses, many don’t set up a business phone number and instead use cell phones for any business calls that need to be made. Is this the right move for businesses because they

As a business owner, you know that company culture exists, whether it’s of your own design or not. We’ve all seen the implications of an underdeveloped company culture: Employees take it upon themselves to create a culture of their own, and that doesn’t usually end up promoting the values or goals a carefully crafted and modeled company culture would. In

It’s important to get away sometimes, but you may not be able to leave your business for two weeks or even a full week. Every entrepreneur needs a break. Here are four of the best vacations you can take to get a break from your business for a few days. A Cruise If you live near a cruise port or

Small business teams don’t need to be large to be effective. In fact, the fewer people on your team, the easier and more cohesive your work will be – if you hire the right people. The people you need on your team are those who understand your company mission, fit the cultural parameters you’ve defined, and truly know their stuff.

Did you know that 48% of entrepreneurs grew up in a family business? While a little more than half of all entrepreneurs come from a background with zero entrepreneur experience, many people that start their own business grew up seeing their family run a business of their own. 48% of Entrepreneurs Grew Up in a Family Business Sometimes entrepreneurs wonder

As we get closer and closer to the New Year, resolutions and new goals may begin entering your mind. It’s a wonderful time to make a fresh start and pinpoint some goals you’d like to work toward during the New Year. The problem with New Year’s resolutions is often a lack of creativity. We hear the same resolutions over and over

If your business is doing well, you’ll eventually find yourself needing additional help. Hiring your first employee seems like the natural next step, but it’s a monumental step for a small business owner who hasn’t employed anyone before. There are lots of factors to consider before hiring your first employee, but we’ll focus on the three most important considerations to